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December 8, 2006

Thank You, Keith Foulke

With Keith Foulke declining arbitration, his Red Sox career is likely over.

His shitty treatment by the Boston media is a darker stain than most on those writers' dubious resumes. And the lemming fans who followed suit and booed him throughout 2005 should have all but the first three games of the 2004 ALCS wiped from their memories.

Without his amazing bullpen work, that glorious October would have been yet another Yankee nightmare. In the process of bringing us what we wished for all our lives, he ruined his career:

The moment I remember best (not counting the WS-ending underhand toss to Malphabet): the bottom of the 9th of ALCS 6 in Yankee Stadium. The Bloody Sock Game.

Boston had led 4-0, but New York scored once in the 7th (Bernie HR off Schilling), once in the 8th (Jeter single off Arroyo, followed by the Slappy slap), and had the tying runs on (two Foulke walks) in the bottom of the ninth.

It capped a stretch of 5 innings and 100 pitches in the amazingly short time span of 48 hours. In the celebration on the mound, Foulke is absolutely beaming, and after hugging Arroyo, he says, in a very hoarse voice: "Gotta make it interesting".

17 comments:

One of the scariest all-time moments it was, with Tony Clark up there. The perfect guy to break our hearts once again, and in classic two-syllable first name, one-syllable last name fashion. But we got him. How sweet it was, as me and dozens of others spilled out of the Riviera into the streets of Mew York, celebrating like it was...New Curse's Eve!

Yep, thanks and good luck to Foulkie. I liked him from day one. When he was healthy he didn't exactly make it look easy, but he always looked in control. The whole over-blown mantra of 'leaving it on the field' certainly applies to him in the 04 post-season and in most other markets he'd be toasted as a 'warrior'. Can't help but think that somebody like Manny observes all this and concludes that he's better off keeping his thoughts to himself. Of course, the same idiots that hounded Foulke never give Manny credit for being capable of thinking for himself.

Seriously, if you weren't screaming, crying and/or praying to god (whether you believe or not) during that 9th inning, you have no soul. I was in my apartment in Chicago hunched over my laptop listening to the mlb radio feed and refreshing gameday screaming for strikes. I almost passed out from oxygen deprivation.

And it was one of the great releases of all time when Clark struck out. There was no way a just world would've let the Yankees win like that, after they way their fans acted and Schilling's heroism.

we'll never forget him tho. the last play of the world series..totally emblazened on all our memories. and the alcs..my god. i think there is still pent up stress in some of my neck muscles over that. just amazing to think of us conquering them, against all odds. best alcs ever?

redsock and l-girl have already written it but every single time I re-watch the games, or parts thereof, I can't figure out what fuelled us through that week: it wasn't anything normal. I don't know why I even bothered going to work, except that riding the T each day was so much damn fun once they started turning it around!

Right on with Foulke, who was indeed the MVP in the Series,and that's no knock on Ramirez. I wish he would stay, because I think there's as good or a chance better that he'll return to 2004 form as there is that any of the alternatives I've heard so far will work out. [Anyone who seriously advocates handing the 9th to Craig Hansen after his performnce last season needs to have his head examined, and quick.]Foulke's right there in the pantheonforever, along with Roberts, Mueller and so many others. He's got my good will forever. "Thank you" is right.

I wish Foulke would have stayed by basically the media completely and utterly ran him out of town. That is the bottom line. People like that negative nitwit 'Dirtdogs' seemed to have something against him from the getgo and his vendetta against Foulke was ugly, aggressive and uncalled for.